Colorado Still Strong in Charter School Law, But There's Room to Improve
Every year the Center for Education Reform rates the quality of different states’ charter school laws based on their flexibility and equity. This week they released the new edition, and the news again is good for Colorado — one of only 13 states with “strong laws that do not require significant revisions.”
But I’m never satisfied with a B letter grade, and neither should Colorado. As usual, there are some key improvements that can be made to our state’s charter school law:
- More alternative authorizing options beyond the state’s Charter School Institute
- Greater opportunity for charters to have autonomy from district policies over budgeting, personnel and the like
- Greater opportunity to access funding for the construction and maintenance of school facilities
It’s great to be one of the best states when it comes to charter school laws. But as long as the District of Columbia, Minnesota, California, Utah, Arizona and Michigan stand ahead of Colorado, our work is cut out for us to provide the best in independent public school innovation that meets the needs and demands of families in our state.